An Unholy Alliance : Rapport
by Avirra
Summary: AU - Mirror-verse. The ISS Enterprise has been diverted to recover a research team and their data from a doomed solar system. With Imperial Starfleet Command trying to incite mutiny onboard, will unknown forces on a dying world prove to be more than even the wily Kirk can handle? Rating for situations and occasional language. Canon death(s).
1. A New Mission

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.008

En route to the Minarian system to evacuate a research station located on the second planet. The system's sun is entering its nova phase and the station has been gathering data for the Imperial Science Academy. When I wondered why they hadn't installed an automated system, Spock reminded me that the radiation fluctuations from the dying sun would affect the equipment, so the scientists were necessary to adjust the gear as needed as well as make backup records.

Sounds deadly dull, but I don't pretend to understand the way researchers think.

* * *

><p>After turning off the recording, Kirk remained still for a moment thinking. The only movement was one finger lightly tapping the button to the ship's intercom. After another minute of silence, he pressed the button with greater force.<p>

"First Officer Spock and Doctor McCoy, report to the Captain's ready room immediately."

That done, Kirk took his time getting ready to head to the ready room himself. He far preferred others waiting for him than him waiting for them. He knew it was petty, but among the lessons Pike had taught him was to assert his position as Captain in many subtle ways. Not that this show was for either Spock or McCoy. No, this show was for the numerous unknown crewmen that would take unconscious note of who were the ones doing the waiting.

None of these games seemed to phase either of his two officers in the least. They were discussing the newest transmission received from Imperial Starfleet and debating which items were real and which were propaganda. It was, of course, considered a traitorous act to speculate on the truthfulness of Imperial documents. Not, of course, that any of the three of them cared.

Once Kirk moved to his chair, Spock and McCoy ended their conversation. focusing their attention on their Captain. Kirk wasted no time getting to the point.

"Gentlemen - this mission to the Minara system. Opinions as to why the Empire is wasting their time - and, more importantly, our time - with it?"

Spock had been considering that question since the orders had first come across and so was the first to respond.

"The opportunities for close studies of stars entering the nova phase are exceedingly rare. One could classify the data that will be added to the stores of knowledge as priceless."

"Bull."

McCoy's one word had both Kirk and Spock turning their attention to him with Spock's eyebrow canting to an angle that meant he was some between intrigued and annoyed at the interruption.

"You have another theory, Doctor?"

There was an element of disbelief in Spock's tone that made a smirk form on McCoy's face.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Mind you, I'm not arguing that the information that's been gathered isn't valuable in its own right, but the Empire could have diverted a merchant ship to pick up these guys if that was all it was. Diverting a starship? That implies there's more than meets the eye."

Kirk remained silent and watched as Spock considered McCoy's arguments before nodding slowly.

"The objection you raise is a significant one, but what other use would the data hold?"

"Same use some folks in the medical profession get by focusing on fatal illness. Spot them early and exploit the resources before they die. If I remember correctly, this one was spotted back when there was only a bit over a year left to this system."

"That is correct, Doctor. The research station was only established six months ago. There are three inhabited planets in the system. None of the inhabitants were deemed technically advanced enough to be worth the expense of evacuation."

"But if the Empire had known about this system being doomed sooner? Say, five years in advance instead of one year?"

For a moment, Spock seemed annoyed at what he viewed as engaging in pointless conjecture, but as he decided to give the matter consideration, his expression changed. Kirk began to nod and broke his silence.

"I see your point, Bones. With a five year window, the Empire would have had time to strip mine the worlds of the system of any usable materials. The year was too short a period for the yield to have been worth the expense of the attempt."

"Indeed. With the planets doomed to destruction regardless, the strip mining could have been done aggressively with no need to consider long-term effects. We will be keeping copies of the station's data aboard the Enterprise, Captain?"

"We will indeed, Mister Spock. Speaking of which, I've been ordered to beam down to the planet personally to ensure that the computers systems are rendered useless. I want the two of you with me. Spock, you'll verify the data files. Bones, you make sure the research team aren't going to bring something contagious onto our ship."

A Captain being ordered to beam down to a planet was a well-known euphemism to let a crew know that Imperial Starfleet Command would not be broken-hearted about that Captain being marooned Spock and McCoy exchanged glances before McCoy voiced the question on both of their minds.

"Who's going to be watching the store while we're down there, Jim?"

"Scotty. He knows damn well no other Captain will ever give him the leeway with the Enterprise that I do. As Scotty's also the only one that knows how some of his modifications work, that will discourage anyone thinking of taking control from him."

A grunt signified McCoy's approval. The Scotsman was certifiable, but extremely loyal. Sure, his loyalty was to the ship, but so long as Scotty felt Kirk was the right man to be at the helm, that loyalty bled over to him as well. The fact that he still considered himself in debt to McCoy didn't hurt either.

"That's all. We'll be entering orbit tomorrow and coordinating with the station. We should be back underway in a matter of hours. Since Command is concerned about the computers being left behind, I think we might indulge Chekov and let him destroy the station with a phaser barrage."

Spock gave a slight inclination of his head to show his approval.

"Practice with an actual target is always preferable to simulations."

As he got to his feet, McCoy frowned.

"If the higher-ups are so concerned with the computers, why did they leave the equipment with no-one to protect it but a two man team?"

Snorting, Kirk rose from his seat as well.

"My best guess would be that one or both of those men pissed off the wrong Admiral. We probably should check into that. I don't want to draw additional fire our way by bringing back someone they'd rather remain deep in the black."

Gesturing toward the door, Kirk gave a sudden grin.

"Shall we startle a few of the crew members and have a meal together in the Officers' Mess?"

The three began their walk through the corridor, Kirk in the center, McCoy slightly behind and to his left, Spock slightly behind and to his right. By this point, no-one was suicidal enough to think they could challenge the trio, but Kirk knew he'd have to keep closer watch for awhile. Those beam down orders shouldn't have become known among the crew, but they were common knowledge. That meant a mole was still onboard. One that needed to be air locked after they were identified.


	2. Orbiting Minara II

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.011

We have entered orbit around the planet. Still have not received any response to our signals. I have ordered Uhura to continue sending and monitoring on all Imperial channels while scans are run on the surface to check on atmospheric conditions and radiation levels. If the planet is still capable of supporting life, we will beam down tomorrow if we haven't received a response by then. If it turns out to be a case of them not monitoring their equipment, I will have Bones send one of his nurses down to skin them.

* * *

><p>Captain James T. Kirk could be a very patient man. That being said, few things grated on his nerves more than someone wasting his time. The fact that the scientists monitoring the station weren't answering was adding time to what Kirk had hoped to be a very short mission. He was not, however, in so large of a rush that he would chance beaming down without a full set of readings being taken.<p>

Leaving Spock on the Bridge to coordinate with Chekov on the planet scans, Kirk headed for Sickbay. As usual, two bodyguards followed in his wake. Kirk was deadly enough on his own that they were more of less decoration, but he considered them part of his uniform. One more thing to remind the crew who the alpha male was on this ship. Something he planned on emphasizing until whoever onboard was in someone else's pocket was eliminated.

As he entered Sickbay, every nurse on duty looked up in near unison followed by each tucking away her favorite weapon back into its hiding place before resuming their duties. Not for the first time, Kirk wished he could get his Security team to radiate even half of the menace that McCoy's nurses did.

The gesture from Nurse Chapel told Kirk all that he needed to know - McCoy was in his office and alone. Striding over to the office, he stepped in before the door had finished opening. McCoy was studying something on his monitor, but put it aside once the door slid shut again.

"No word yet from Linke or Ozaba?"

Flopping down into the chair across from the CMO's desk, Kirk made a disgruntled noise.

"Nothing. That reminds me, that nurse of yours that Pavel moons over keeping in practice on her skinning?"

"Layali? I wouldn't let her get rusty, Jim. That little gal is an artist with a blade. Planning on an exhibition?"

"If those two on the surface don't have a damn good reason for not answering, I plan on more than an exhibition. Break out a bottle, Bones."

Turning his chair to key in the combination to his cabinet, McCoy spoke over his shoulder.

"Name the strength."

"We're beaming down tomorrow, so the ale would be too much. Still have any of that whiskey you were pouring last month?"

"Sure do."

A short rummage brought out a bottle slightly under half-full and two glasses. Despite the lock, McCoy ran his scanner over everything before and after pouring. Only then did he nudge one glass toward his Captain.

"I never bothered to ask, but what's the name of this hunk of rock we're circling."

Taking a sip, Kirk gave an unconcerned shrug.

"Second planet in the Minara sytem? Minara II."

Rolling his eyes, McCoy took a sip himself.

"Well, guess that's a little better than old Admiral Blannett's habit of naming planets in a new system after his favorite prostitutes."

"Worse ways to name a planet, Bones. So, you know anything about either of the researchers we're picking up?"

"Never met either of them, but I've heard of Ozaba. Used to be fairly well respected in research circles until he decided a few tests weren't essential and fudged the results instead of actually conducting the tests. Remember that field trial when we were in our second year that went sour?"

"I remember. They lost nine cadets and one instructor. That got traced back to Ozaba? No wonder he's on this rock. By the way, plan on telling Layali she might want to sharpen her knives?"

"Nah. She takes good care of her blades. Besides, I'd rather surprise her with a shot at them than have her disappointed if it turns out she won't get the opportunity. You really think they might be stupid enough to ignore a call from us?"

"Maybe. They were stupid enough to get themselves stationed in on a planet that won't even exist a year from now."

"You do make a valid point there, Jim. If I were on a planet like that, your problem would be getting me to stop signaling. Pavel was talking about needing to keep a close eye out for solar flares. Probably something as simple as one of those taking out their receiver or messing with their reception."

Downing the rest of his drink, Kirk considered his empty glass briefly before setting it down and nudging it back toward McCoy, who took the hint, putting both the bottle and the glasses back away.

"Anything pressing your ladies can't handle, Bones?"

"Not a thing. Why?"

"Gaila's been experimenting on a new aphrodisiac she wants to test out. Figure that's as good a way as any to kill a few hours while they finish the surface scans."

McCoy stared at Kirk for a solid minute before speaking.

"Gaila? The last thing that Orion gal needs is an aphrodisiac. Hell, that's like tossing one more drop in the ocean because it isn't wet enough for you."

Laughing, Kirk got up from his seat and moved behind the desk to start shooing McCoy toward the door.

"You're right - she doesn't need anything added, but if it makes her happy, what's the harm? Let's go. You aren't going back on duty again until it's time for us to beam down. Captain's orders."

As Kirk continued to herd McCoy out, he flashed a smile at Chapel.

"If we get interrupted? It better be one hell of a medical emergency."

"Yes, Captain."

Chapel continued watching until the Sickbay doors shut behind them, then returned to her duties. From the mission delay, that meant there might be a death at the station - either current or impending - and that meant the possibility of an autopsy. She could hardly wait.


	3. Solar Flares

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.014

Beamed down with Spock and Bones plus Mitchell and Franks from Security. We had barely materialized when Scotty contacted us that the sun was sending out solar flares with high cosmic ray levels. Spock calculated that it will be at least three days before the levels calm back down to safe levels for the ship. I ordered Scotty to take the Enterprise out a safe distance and to only come back sooner if the sun starts deteriorating faster than expected. The station will have enough supplies for us to wait out the solar storm.

* * *

><p>If anyone was to watch the Transporter Room, the pecking order onboard the ship could be guessed without looking at uniforms by observing who arrived first. Lieutenants Mitchell and Franks from Security were waiting in the room a full half-hour before the scheduled time. McCoy and Spock arrived in near unison five minutes before time. Kirk entered right on time, stepping onto the platform to join the others who were already in position.<p>

As the group of five materialized on the planet surface, Kirk frowned as they were hit by winds strong enough to cause all of them to stagger, including Spock. While they were all struggling to stay upright, Kirk's communicator sounded.

"Kirk here. What is it, Scotty?"

"Minara's sun is acting out, Captain. Gigantic solar flares with damned high gamma rays to go along with them."

"How damned high are we talking?"

"At least three point five one on the Ritter scale. Our Lady's equipment is nae going to appreciate those levels, sir."

Listening in along with Spock, McCoy chimed in.

"Those levels aren't going to do our crew any favors either, Jim."

Nodding to acknowledge that, Kirk looked to Spock for his input.

"At levels of intensity, we are likely looking at a window of between seventy to eighty hours before the effects return to normal. That is assuming no further flares erupt, but with a dying star, that is a questionable assumption."

"And the atmosphere here?"

"Will be sufficient to protect us from the radiation at this stage, Captain."

Two beats later, Kirk made his call.

"Get our Girl out of harm's way. We'll be safe enough here and the station will have enough supplies to see us through. No point in delaying the mission until the solar storm is over. They're likely to become more frequent than less as the nova phase gets nearer."

"Aye, sir - but that will put us out of communicator reach."

"If we need to contact you, we should be able to using the station's subspace channel. Now move my ship before I dock your pay for damages."

A short laugh was heard before Scotty answered back.

"On our way, Captain. Scott out."

With the transmission ended, Kirk took his first good look around and frowned.

"So . . . where is the research station? I don't see anything."

Making an adjustment to his tricorder, Spock checked his readings.

"The complex itself is underground, but we seem to have landed approximately 3.4 kilometers away from the surface entrance. We need to head due north east."

Grumbling as another wind gust threatened his balance again, Kirk motioned forward.

"Lead the way, Spock. When we returned to the Enterprise, remind me to have a long chat with the transporter chief regarding his aim."

The bad mood Kirk was in wasn't improved when the wind velocity picked up considerably, throwing debris into the air and making seeing difficult before they were even halfway to the station. He had to yell to be heard over the roaring winds.

"Forget making it to the station for now. Find us some shelter until this passes."

Spock's instruments indicated a cavern not too far away, but fighting against the swirling winds had all five of them exhausted by the time they reached it. Luck was on their side that the winds weren't sweeping into the cavern as well.

Coughing and brushing some of the dust off of himself, McCoy looked back toward the entrance.

"Well, not like we're in a hurry. We should be fine in here as long as the winds die down in a few hours. Worst case, it keeps going and we make use of the tricorders to find our way."

Seeming to reach the same conclusion, Spock refrained from comment as he moved toward the rear of the small cavern and settled down into his meditation position. Looking a little irritated and a lot bored, Kirk ordered the two security men to stay near the entrance before turning to McCoy.

"Settle down somewhere, Bones. I plan to use you as a cushion."

McCoy rolled his eyes, but complied with only a short grumble.

"I'm a doctor, not a cot."

Kirk gave the doctor a firm poke.

"You are whatever I say you are. Now shut up and get some rest before I stun you into being still."

There were any number of people that accused McCoy of pressing his luck with Kirk, but truthfully, McCoy learned fairly early when he could push and when he needed to give way. With Kirk's current mood, it was most definitely time to give way and he did. He simply got into as comfortable a position as he could manage and then motioned Kirk over.

As Kirk settled down, McCoy exchanged a look with Spock and received a slight nod. Good. Even in his meditations, Spock was alert enough to keep watch. McCoy certainly wouldn't have trusted either of the redshirts to do it. To McCoy, most Security personnel were the equivalent of armor - one more layer for weapons to have to get through to get to him. OF course, he also equated most of them as having intelligence of about the same level as armor as well. If they were really bright, they wouldn't be in Security in the first place. It was a job with a low survival rate even in Imperial Starfleet - a profession that few lived long enough to retire from.

A poke broke into his thoughts.

"You're thinking too hard again, McCoy. Sleep."


	4. The Research Station

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.016

The station looks abandoned and by more than a few days. I left Bones and Spock to search the computer records while I took Security with me to check outside. No signs of disturbances in the immediate area, but before I could expand the search, Spock called to inform me that the last records they located were three months old. Then an odd noise came over the communicator, followed by silence.

Rushing back, we found no signs of either Spock or Bones beyond the dust that they had disturbed. Someone is going to die.

* * *

><p>When he was nudged awake by kirk, it took McCoy a minute to remember where they were and another minute to figure out what was missing. The howl of the winds that he'd gone to sleep to was gone. That was an immediate positive. He hadn't wanted to start his day by being sandblasted on the way to the research station.<p>

Kirk was already awake, of course. He had been the one doing the nudging - obviously. Nudging wasn't really a Vulcan thing and both Security men had enough self-preservation instincts not to touch any of the three officers without permission.

"Come on, Bones. Let's get to the station. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Though not hungry enough to eat protein nibs if I don't have to. Spock, check your settings and lead the way. Mitchell - Franks, bring up the rear."

With the winds calm and a cloudless sky, the remaining two kilometers to the station didn't take them long. It took longer to remover the debris that had been blown in front of the entrance. The entryway itself was small - not even the shortest of them could get through it without the dual movement of stepping high while ducking down.

Kirk ordered Franks to remain outside and Mitchell to stay inside the entryway while he, Spock and McCoy took the narrow spiral staircase down to the main floor of the station. Taking a look around as he descended, McCoy shook his head.

"Either these guys are worse housekeepers than my ex was or nobody's home."

Looking at the layer of undisturbed dust, Kirk was inclined to agree.

"Bones, find the food replicator while Spock and I check out the area."

"Right, Jim."

A quick check of the storage area, sleeping area and small head area showed the same thing - plenty of dust, no obvious signs of struggle and no bodies. McCoy had cleaned the dust from the small dining table and had food waiting as well as coffee for Kirk and tea for Spock. McCoy was sipping on his own coffee as he motioned toward the small galley.

"I checked over the replicator settings before I used it. It hasn't been used for about three months even though it's in perfect working order. And I checked the food output. Usual replicator output. Perfectly wholesome and the proper amounts of nutrients."

Eating methodically, Kirk's eyes continued to roam over the small station.

"No loss of power. No lack of food or water. The shelter isn't compromised and the equipment all seems to be in working order. Insanity, perhaps?"

McCoy did give that thought consideration for a second, but then shook his head.

"One man? I could buy that, but not two. And if only one went mad, I'd expect to see some sign of trouble. Hell, looks like they just got up, went to take a stroll and never came back."

"Spock?"

"I find nothing to dispute Doctor McCoy's conclusions. Perhaps the men were somehow mentally coerced to exit the building, but I cannot imagine why anyone would have done so and yet left the station itself alone. There are no indications that anyone beyond Linke or Ozaba have touched the equipment."

Finishing up his plate and his coffee, Kirk pushed his plate aside.

"Still, we need to check it out. If there are hostiles in the area, I'd rather know sooner than later. Bones, make up a couple of sandwiches for the Security team. I'll take them with me and check the perimeter of the area. while we're doing that, I want the two of you to check the computers, the logs, the security tapes - anything that might give us an idea of what happened here."

Less than five minutes later, Kirk, Mitchell and Franks were beginning their sweep of the area. The two men, recognizing the signs of impatience in their Captain, had quick wolfed down their sandwiches and coffee so as not to add delay to the list of annoyances.

The initial sweep was a hundred yards in every direction from the entrance. After the wind storm, they couldn't expect to find any sign of violence, but they still should have found a body if there had been one in the area.

* * *

><p>Inside the station, Spock and McCoy were going over the computers methodically. They had quickly divided the tasks between them - McCoy would view and listen to the Security tapes and logs while Spock would examine the computers themselves in greater detail to verify that none of the systems had been tampered with. They had barely been working for ten minutes when McCoy called out.<p>

"Spock, I have something but damned if I know what I'm seeing. Come here and see if you can make any sense out of this."

Normally Spock would have been irritated at having his own work interrupted, but something about the doctor's tone tweaked the Vulcan's curiosity. As he moved to McCoy's side, the doctor was making an adjustment to the viewer.

"Security tape. Stardate stamp indicates this happened about four hours after the last time the replicator was used, so three months back."

As the visuals started, Spock saw a much cleaner version of the room they were in. Two Terrans, one dark skinned, who was watching the same monitor they were currently viewing, and one pale, who was studying a set of gauges and entering the numbers into his PADD. The pale one was grumbling loudly about being sick of the planet they were stuck on. As if in response, a small earthquake shook the structure and nearly knocked the man off of his feet.

Shaking his head in amusement, the seated man laughed.

"'In his hand are the deep places of the earth'. Psalm ninety five, verse four. You alright there, Linke?"

"Fine, but you're going to get in big trouble if you don't stop quoting that book. The Admiralty takes the banned book list pretty seriously. I'm just hoping we get evacuated from this rock while there's still some of it left."

"For the most part, I've discovered that the books that have earned a banned are the only ones worth reading. But fear not, my nervous friend. The Empire might not care whether or not either of us are recovered, but they spent too much time and effort not to want the data we've gathered for . . . Are you messing with a gauge? What's that noise?"

Linke was wincing and looking around.

"I didn't touch anything, Ozaba. Trust me, if I knew what that was, I'd shut it off. That pitch hurts."

Hand pressed against his left ear, Ozaba got to his feet and staggered toward the stairs. He was having to raise his voice to be heard over the noise now.

"Keep looking to see if the noise is coming from the gear. I'm going to check topside."

Only a few steps up, Ozaba gave a pained cry and then there was a flash of light as Ozaba disappeared. Eyes wide in shock, Linke yelled out Ozaba's name but was soon stumbling in pain before disappearing into a flash of light as well.

The replay continued, but the odd noise had stopped the second Linke had disappeared. Stopping the recording as it became apparent there wasn't anything else, Spock glanced toward McCoy.

"On one hand, it seems we have evidence that the two men were taken against their wills, but we have no indication as to who might have done so or for what purpose."

"It didn't look like any teleport I've ever seen."

"I will contact the Captain at once."

McCoy was only half-listening as Spock spoke to Kirk.

"We have not found any activity more recent than three months ago, sir. As to what happened to the researchers -"

Whatever else Spock had been about to say was interrupted as the sound they had heard on the recording suddenly sprang to life again inside the station. Listening to it on the monitor, the sound had merely been annoying. Listening to it in person was an entirely different and very painful experience. Spock immediately grabbed his tricorder to see what he could learn, but with his sensitive hearing, Spock released his hold on the device within seconds and pressed his hands against his ears. A light flashed and McCoy found himself alone.

Before the doctor had a chance to react, the noise seemed to close in on him. Even with his eyes shut, McCoy saw the flash of light seconds before his consciousness fled.

* * *

><p>Kirk didn't hesitate. After the communication from Spock suddenly stopped, he ran back to the entrance, Mitchell and Franks close behind.<p>

"Spock! Bones!"

There was no answer as Kirk came down the stairs at breakneck speed and it only took a few minutes to verify that both officers were gone. Seeing the barely contained fury of their Captain, both Security men wisely gave him wide berth as he made his log entry. Neither doubted his words as he stated that someone was going to die - they just didn't want that someone to be them.


	5. Gem

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.019

Woke up to find Bones hovering over me with a young girl hanging at his side. I had a massive headache from a gash in my forehead and while Bones was fussing, the girl - Bones calls her Gem - reached over and gently pressed two fingers against my face. I would have swatted her away, but Bones stopped me.

My headache began fading as her head began to bleed, but it quickly healed over. If it wasn't for the blood Bones cleaned off of both of us, I would have assumed I hallucinated it.

* * *

><p>It took well over an hour for Kirk to calm down long enough to think sensibly - an hour during which both Security men wisely went back to their guard duties to keep themselves as far away from their volatile Captain as possible.<p>

The planet itself was what refocused Kirk's thoughts. The structure shook as the planet trembled and, as he grabbed onto one of the tables, his eyes fell on the monitor on the other end. Spock had been about to tell him something about what had happened to the researchers. That answer might well be on the monitor.

The tremor only lasted a matter of seconds, so once it had ended, Kirk moved to the monitor and entered the commands that would have it replay the last section that had been watched. When the noise began on the recording, Kirk quickly recognized it as the same sound he'd heard over the communicator immediately before losing contact with Spock. As he watched first one, then the other researcher disappear into a flash of light, he had no doubt that whoever had taken the researchers had taken his men as well.

"Mitchell! Franks! Get down here!

Mitchell was closest so he had reached the bottom of the stairs while Franks was halfway down when the noise filled the small space again. It seemed the affect Franks the worst in the beginning. He froze on the stairs, screaming and grabbing at his head. Another flash of light and the man was gone. Also immediately Mitchell was clamping his hands over his ears and Kirk watched as he disappeared as well.

Knowing he was next, Kirk lurched toward the station's control panel. His plans were to send out a distress signal so that the Enterprise would know there was a problem. His intentions were thwarted when another tremor shook the room and the already unbalanced Captain fell, clipping his head on the table. He was unconscious when the flash of light took him away.

* * *

><p>McCoy woke disoriented and found himself laying next to Spock's body. They were both in a small pool of light with nothing to indicate where they were at. Sitting up, he reached over to feel for a pulse on Spock only to involuntarily cry out in pain as his arm grasped tightly when the Vulcan suddenly woke. The bone was broken before Spock came back to awareness enough to realize what he was doing and released his grip.<p>

As Spock frowned at the now semi-conscious doctor, another area lit up and there was a raised area visible. Acknowledging to himself that he was already quite likely to be boothed for damaging McCoy, Spock decided his best move for now would be to get the doctor up off of the floor and then see if he could find anything in McCoy's medkit that might help.

Picking up the injured man with ease, Spock headed for the other lighted area, slowing as he was now able to detect that a body was already on the platform he had seen. His first thought was that it had to be one of the two researchers, but that was quickly proven false when Spock got his first clear look at the body. While the form was humanoid, it was also female.

For once, Spock hesitated. He had no idea whether or not the woman had been brought to this place herself or if she was one of the ones responsible for what had happened. He quickly decided that he would rather question her with his phaser in hand and quickly laid McCoy down.

The groan escaping McCoy seemed to rouse the woman, who moved in exaggerated gestures that reminded Spock somewhat of a dance performance that Nyota had once invited him to see. Seeing Spock, she flinched back, raising her hands as if to shield herself, a move he thought to be highly illogical as her hands would hardly be sufficient to halt a phaser blast. Though he had no way of knowing her age, Spock found himself now thinking of her as a child rather than as an adult.

A second groan seemed to draw her like a moth to a light, so Spock slowly moved further from McCoy to see what she would do. If the girl proved violent, he could blame all of McCoy's injuries on her. Kirk might still booth him for failing to prevent the injuries, but that wouldn't be as bad as the punishment for causing them himself.

The girl moved toward McCoy, settling down next to him and leaning over without touching. One hand hesitantly hovered over him, coming to rest over the broken arm. Soundlessly, she recoiled with her hands tightly fisted as her features distorted with pain. The next moan drew her trembling hand back again, but this time, she actually touched McCoy.

Watching the sequence of events in fascination, Spock was under the impression that the girl would have been screaming if she'd been able to. Another minute and she was slumping by McCoy's side.

Before Spock could return, McCoy was already moving again without any indication of being in pain. As his eyes opened, McCoy looked down at his arm, then over to the girl next to him. When her eyes met the doctor's, Spock was shocked to see an expression on McCoy's face that he'd seen before, but only in the presence of the doctor's young sister. The girl smiled back hesitantly, but the smile grew in strength as McCoy touched her gently.

"Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, Spock moved a step closer. It was disagreeable to have to chose between apologizing to the doctor and facing the Captain, but at the same time, he was embarrassed that his lack of control had caused him to injure a worn ally.

"Doctor . . ."

Before he could get out another word, McCoy waved him off.

"My own head wasn't fully clear either or I wouldn't have put myself in reach of a Vulcan waking up when his last memory was pain. Besides, the little lady here seems to have repaired the damages, so I won't bring it up to Jim if you don't."

Spock simply nodded, more relieved than he would ever admit out loud. The three of them had a very viable partnership, but the balance was delicate as Spock knew that, should push come to shove, Kirk and McCoy would back one another over him.

McCoy wasn't paying attention to Spock and his reactions though. He was studying the girl. Slowly bringing around his tricorder, he showed it to her and her open curiosity about the device made him chuckle. Since he was at ease and showing the tricorder to her, she didn't pull away when he turned it on and used it to scan her.

"No vocal cords and no signs of her ever having any."

Keeping his distance, Spock nodded.

"I had suspected something of the kind. She has not made a single noise since our arrival, even when she was in pain."

Turning his head to look at Spock, McCoy consulted his readings again.

"Pain? Why was she in pain?"

"It was not my doing, Doctor. At least not directly. When she made contact with you and mended your arm, she seemed to be in agony. Then it passed and she collapsed by your side where she remained until you woke."

Feeling the doctor's concern toward her, the girl moved nearer to him and seemed pleased when McCoy put his arms around her - again, the move reminded Spock of the interactions with Joanna he had witnessed.

"She. We can't just keep calling her that."

One brow canted as Spock continued watching them both.

"Indeed? Then what do you suggest?"

Looking at the crystals that decorated the flowing and filmy tabard that she wore, McCoy shrugged.

"I think I'll call her Gem."

The second eyebrow joined the first.

"Gem?"

"Better that 'hey you'. Besides. it fits her."

Before Spock could comment, a flash of light nearby drew their attention. In the pool of light they had originally been in, a familiar figure in Command Gold was laying far too still.

"Jim!"

McCoy didn't hesitate to run to his side, Gem close behind and Spock following the two of them more warily. It was now plain that Gem hadn't brought them there, but someone had and whoever they were, they commanded technologies that Spock had never encountered before.

The first thought to run through Kirk's mind as he woke to a pounding headache was that he must have gotten into a fight. Hearing McCoy's voice, brought his mind back to what had actually happened.

"Easy, Jim. You're with us. Wherever we are."

As the blue eyes opened, Jim's next words died unspoken as he saw the delicate looking female at McCoy's side who was looking at him with open curiosity. Seeing the look on Kirk's face, McCoy smiled as he brought up his tricorder.

"Jim, this is Gem. Gem, this is our Captain. I don't know if she actually understands anything that I'm saying, Jim, but talking to her seems to help her stay calm. She's a skittish little thing. Now hold still while I check to see what kind of damage you did to that thick skull of yours."

While McCoy was frowning over his readings, Gem shifted closer to Kirk. Always wary with an unknown person, Kirk watched her closely and moved to swat her away as she reached for his forehead. When McCoy blocked his hand, the blue eyes narrowed.

"It's alright, Jim. Let her touch you. Watch."

The girl had drawn her hand back, but looked to McCoy. When he nodded in encouragement, she gave him as unsure smile then reached out again, gently pressing two fingers against Kirk's forehead. She grimaced, but then took a deep breath and maintained her connection.

To his shock, Kirk found his pounding headache was rapidly fading. As he started to question what was going on, he saw a wound appear on Gem's forehead. Mesmerized, he reached out and touched a finger to the wound. Drawing back, the blood on his fingertip told him that it wasn't an illusion even though a minute later, the girl's head wound disappeared,

"She's an empath, Jim. So sensitive that not only can she feel our pain and emotions, she can draw them into herself.'

As she slumped from the exertion, McCoy gathered her close again to support her and Kirk felt a pang of jealousy. He remained still however as McCoy pulled a wipe from his kit and used it first to clean the remaining blood from Kirk's forehead and then Gem's. It was his movements that caused the jealousy to be replaced with a speculative look. The attitude McCoy had cleaning up the girl reminded him of watching McCoy treating Joanna for a skinned knee.

Unwilling to voice his concerns that the female empath might be using her powers to manipulate McCoy, Kirk sat up. Something was missing. Something was wrong, but what?

"Not so fast, Jim."

'No need to fuss, Bones. The pain's completely gone. Not even a trace of the headache."

Then what he was missing clicked.

"Where are Mitchell and Franks?"

Spock spoke up.

"We saw your arrival, but we have not seen either of them, Captain. Perhaps they are still in the research station."

"No, they aren't. That . . . sound started again. Both of them disappeared before the tremor hit. I was thrown against the table and that's the last I remember before waking up here."

"Well, that explains the dent you had in your head."

McCoy ran another scan over Kirk, then showed him the comparison between the two reading.

"You had a skull fracture and a severe concussion."

Holding the tricorder and examining the readings, Kirk sounded incredulous.

"And she fixed that? By taking the injuries onto herself?"

"That she did. Wonder if she'd like to join my nursing staff? But right now? Healing you seems to have taken a lot out of both of you. Come over here. You can settle down and rest a little while Spock and I keep watch."

"I'm not that tired."

"Fine then, take a nap while we try to figure out what's in this darkness around us using our tricorders. You don't have one, so you may as well rest up so that you can take the lead when we find something."

Finding nothing to really argue against, Kirk grudgingly agreed and headed for the indicated platform as McCoy scooped Gem into his arms and carried her.


	6. The Vians

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.022

Another section of this underground complex opened to us and we discovered the contorted bodies of both of the station researchers as well as our two security men. All were inside of tubes, labeled with their names. There were also three additional tubes labeled for myself, Spock and Bones.

Immediately after spotting those tubes, we finally got a look at our captors. They call themselves Vians - never heard of them. They're keeping quiet about why they've brought us here, not that their reasons matter. We need to get back aboard the Enterprise.

* * *

><p>To his annoyance, Kirk slept deeper and longer than he had intended. Sitting up, he glared at McCoy.<p>

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Unfazed by Kirk's tone as he sat nearby with Gem perched by his side, McCoy gestured with his left hand.

"For what purpose? Spock and I were perfectly capable of staring at the dark without your help."

"You mean you haven't located anything?"

Spock made an adjustment to his tricorder.

"We hadn't, Captain, however now I am picking up a reading that was not there previously. A rather large grouping of an unknown set of sophisticated devices."

"You mean they suddenly appeared out of nowhere?"

"By my readings, either that is the case or there was some sort of cloaking device blocking the area that was deactivated."

"And it waits for you to wake back up to happen? Sounds like we're being lured somewhere, Jim."

Nodding in agreement, Kirk got to his feet.

"Yes, it does. But we need to find a way out and sitting here isn't going to accomplish that. Besides, if whoever has us decides to move us, they can repeat what they did tp bring us here in the first place. We may as well go have a look at whatever cheese they've laid out for us."

Seeing the puzzled look forming on Spock's face, McCoy supplied the answer before Spock had finished forming the question.

"Cheese - used to bait mousetraps."

"I see. The analogy seems uncomfortably accurate. Shall I lead the way, Captain?"

"Please do, Mister Spock."

As they started to move off, McCoy extended one hand to Gem. He had no intention of leaving her by herself. For her part, by her expressions, she was both pleased and surprised to be invited to go with them and took his hand eagerly.

Spock halted briefly as another pool of light came to life in front of them - this one filled with a variety of unknown equipment. Looking over a piece of machinery that could have either been a computer or an alien sound system, McCoy chuckled.

"Looks like a collection of junk more than anything."

Kirk snorted his agreement as he moved around a piece that he wasn't sure was a support or what used to be referred to as modern art. Looking up, he froze, staring at what that structure had been hiding.

"Bones! Spock!"

The two men stopped their examination of the other items and hurried over. Gem was right behind McCoy and, as they all took in the sight in front of them, she pressed her head against McCoy's back to avoid seeing any more.

In a series of large, clear tubes were the two missing researchers as well as their two missing Security men. All were contorted in positions that suggested they were in agony when they died - and McCoy quickly confirmed that all were dead.

"What killed them?"

McCoy looked back down at his tricorder and shook his head.

"Each of them have at least half a dozen injuries and any one of those would have been fatal eventually. I'm seeing congestive heart failure, intracranial bleeding, collapsed lungs, ruptured spleens, enlarged livers, pneumonia - I'd have a harder time finding something still right in these bodies, Jim."

Spock had continued to move, but came to a stop in front of a set of empty tubes.

"It seems whoever our captors are have similar plans for us. Three empty tubes, each labeled with our names."

Kirk scowled and took a closer look.

"All labeled in Terran Common, so they intend for us to know that much of their plans at least."

McCoy was still studying the readings on the corpses when a light flash nearby had them turning. Two aliens with oversized heads and metallic robes had appeared and, when she saw them, Gem fled in fear. Before McCoy could follow after her, he found himself encased in a force field along with Kirk and Spock. Movement was difficult, but since his tricorder was already in his hands, McCoy managed to adjust it to get a new reading.

"What the hell is this thing, Bones?"

"Try not to fight it, Jim. Something about it is disrupting our bodies."

For the first time, one of the aliens spoke as they cornered Gem, who had dropped to the ground and assumed a fetal position to try and protect herself when her escape was cut off.

"In a manner of speaking, Doctor. Actually, the field is feeding off of you. The more you resist, the more it removes from your bodies to maintain itself."

Both aliens were making use of some odd handheld device and the girl was contorting in pain. Spock immediately saw what the alien meant as McCoy's anger over their treatment of Gem caused the field to glow brightly. Kirk yelled at them.

"What are you?"

As if they were doing nothing else of importance, the first one spoke again.

"We are Vians. You will not be permitted to interfere."

After several long minutes, the other Vian spoke.

"Sufficient for now."

They backed away from the silently sobbing girl, then disappeared and the force field vanished along with them. All three felt slightly ill from their bodies having been used to feed the field, but McCoy ignored that and rushed to Gem's side, gathering the still weeping girl to him.

"Easy, sweetheart. They're gone. And if they come back here within my reach, I'll kill those SOBs for what they did to you."

Watching the girl carefully, Spock noticed that she seemed startled for a moment by the sheer intensity of McCoy's emotions - a feeling he could well sympathize with. But after only a few moments, she held onto him tighter and buried her face against his chest.

Standing by Spock's side, Kirk watched as McCoy gently rocked Gem. The doctor most definitely had a weakness where children or child-like beings were concerned, but Kirk didn't currently see the need to correct that flaw.

"Spock, they said they wouldn't allow us to interfere. Interfere with what?"

His eyes also on the doctor and Gem, Spock clasped his hands behind his back.

"That, Captain, is a very good question for which I currently do not have an equally good answer beyond to state the obvious observation that it involves the girl."


	7. Kirk

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.025

I can't figure the Vians' angle. They took me away - tortured me, but they weren't after information. The only thing they did was bring the girl in and make her watch. Are they using us to threaten her into do something they want?

When they were finished, I was in a tremendous amount of pain. They wouldn't allow Bones near me, but he was able to coax Gem into helping me. Then before I knew it, the Vians disappeared again, this time taking Bones and Gem. We have to find them.

* * *

><p>It was no more than fifteen minute at most before one of the Vians came back by himself. McCoy had only finished calming Gem a couple of minutes before and at the sight of the Vian, he lunged for the alien before Kirk could order him to stay back. The Vian seemed surprised and stepped back as he made use of his hand device again, causing McCoy to slam into the force field.<p>

Spock took advantage of the Vian's concentration on McCoy and stepped up behind him to deliver a nerve pinch which he knew had a possibility of being useless against the unknown species. He was pleased when the alien collapsed as hoped and quickly took the hand held device. When the Vian had collapsed, the force field had as well. Both Jim and Gem went to McCoy's side

A soft noise from his tricorder drew the Vulcan's attention and, after double checking the reading, Spock called out to Kirk.

"As if was before with the equipment, I am now picking up the path to an exit to the surface. Is the doctor able to walk?"

The answer came from McCoy.

"I'll crawl if need be to get the hell out of here."

Smiling at that familiar growl, Kirk braced McCoy to help him stand and Gem mirrored him on McCoy's other side, though he braced her as much as she did him.

"No need for that while the rest of us are here, Bones. Spock, start moving."

They moved as quickly as possible without breaking into a run as it was obvious that Gem was not used to exertion. The room they were moving through narrowed and turned into a corridor and the corridor walls gradually shifted from smooth surfaces to coarse until it finally emerged into the back of a cavern similar to the one they'd taken shelter in from the winds. They were halfway to the entrance when there was a flash of light behind them.

Both Vians were there and the one who still had his device raised it and McCoy was thrown forward, away from Kirk and Gem. Then the light flashed again, leaving Spock alone with the fallen doctor, who began cursing as soon as he caught his breath.

* * *

><p>Kirk knew he must have blacked out because he woke to find himself hanging from chains whose shackles were attached to each wrist. The Vians were looking at him dispassionately - he was starting to think they were in some sort of contest with the Vulcans. They were also, quite frankly, working on Kirk's last nerve.<p>

"If you think you're going to get information about the Empire from me, you're mistaken."

The taller of the pair seemed almost amused.

"We have no need or desire for such knowledge."

"Then what the hell do you want? If you're going to kill me, at least tell me why."

"Should you survive, you might learn the answer in time."

Frowning at that, his eyes fell on Gem who was looking at him sorrowfully. Then the pain began and everything was forgotten except getting through it.

* * *

><p>Spock tried his communicator and determined that the Enterprise was still out of range.<p>

"There must have been additional flare activity that delayed their return."

"Or they returned and couldn't find us and they've gone on without us."

"I doubt your nurses would have let them get far, Doctor."

That got a laugh out of McCoy.

"You have a good point, Spock. My ladies are a formidable bunch."

"I believe the word I have heard used most often is terrifying."

"That applies. Come on. If we can't call down extra troops, we need to get back and see what the hell the Vians are doing to Jim."

Spock's brow rose.

"No concern about the girl, Doctor?"

"Plenty of concern about Gem, Greenie."

The use of that term told Spock two things - that he'd hit a raw nerve and, if he pressed further, McCoy might well lash out without consideration to the consequences. With that in mind, the Vulcan changed the subject.

"The device I took from the Vian is intriguing. I believe that with the proper adjustments I could make it work for us."

"Peachy. If you can't make it work one way, I'll make it work another."

"How so?"

"By shoving it up whatever these guys have that serves as an anus."

After a moment's thought, Spock decided that he really didn't care for further explanations, so the trip back through the cavern and corridor was made in silence. When they made it back to the area where they'd first found Gem, there was no signs of anyone else and Spock's equipment also failed to show where the equipment area had been. There were few options left to them, so McCoy chose to pace.

McCoy's pacing had reached 1,864 steps by Spock's count when the light flashed once again, depositing Kirk and Gem at the platform. For a man that was normally stoic about pain, the fact that Kirk looked to be in agony told McCoy a great deal about the Captain's condition.

The Vians were nowhere in sight, but obviously watching because the second McCoy tried to go to Kirk, the force field surrounded him and Spock. Gem raised her head. As much as Kirk's pain hurt and frightened her, the sheer need of McCoy to reach Kirk was practically radiating to her. Looking up, she met McCoy's eyes.

"Please - I can't reach him. Help him until I can."

Her hands clenched into fists as she steeled herself, then she took a final deep breath before moving to sit at Kirk's side. She reached out, but flinched back again.

"It's alright, Gem. You're doing so well."

She glanced back over her shoulder at McCoy, smiling slightly at his praise before reaching out to touch Kirk's wrists. The shackles had dug into the skin, leaving bleeding, raw flesh. Gem held back for a second more, then reached out and grabbed both of Kirk's wrists with her hand. As with the gash earlier, the wounds faded from Kirk, then formed on Gem. She pulled away again, cradling her wrists against her until those wounds faded as well.

* * *

><p>Watching from a hidden spot, one of the Vians gestured.<p>

"She responds positively to the one they call McCoy, Lal."

Lal silently watched as McCoy successfully coaxed Gem to rest and then try again.

"You are right, Thann. We can use the bond that has formed between them for the final test."

Nodding in agreement, the force field was released and they returned to their observations.

* * *

><p>McCoy wasted no time getting to the platform, quickly scanning Kirk before examining Gem. To his great relief, she was showing signs of exhaustion, but nothing worse.<p>

"Don't move, Jim. Hell if I know how, but you've got the bends. Wish I had access to a decompression unit. I've got some stuff that will help though. She got you past the point of major complications before she exhausted herself, but you're still going to be mighty uncomfortable for awhile."

Kirk winced less at the feel of the hypospray than he did at the flash of light. Before he could move or say a word, McCoy and Gem were both gone. He meant to call for Spock, but whatever McCoy had injected took effect and pulled him under.

Frowning, Spock stood still a moment longer before moving to sit beside his sleeping Captain before beginning to recalibrate the Vian device.


	8. McCoy

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.028

Listening to Spock as he works on adapting one of the odd hand devices that the Vians use. With his hearing, Spock was able to eavesdrop on the Vians. They are expecting Gem to learn something from being around us and seem to have concluded that McCoy is the most likely to teach her.

Spock is of the opinion that, since they did not remove the device from him, they mean for us to make use of it to escape, leaving Bones behind. Like Hell. They aren't going to keep what's mine.

* * *

><p>When he came to hanging from the shackles, it only took McCoy a second to figure out these were the same ones that Kirk had been suspended from. The Vians hadn't bothered to clean the old blood from them. His surgeon's soul grimaced at both the unsanitary nature of the shackles and the potential damages the shackles could cause to his wrists and, in turn, the nerves to his hands. The sensitivity and steadiness of his hands were part of what made him the surgeon he was.<p>

For the moment, the only ones there were himself and Gem, who was already weeping. He shushed her and called her over.

"Listen. I don't know how much of what I say you can understand, but whatever is about to happen? Don't look and stay as far away from me as possible. I can't stop them from hurting me, but you don't need to go through it with me."

The light told him that the Vians had arrived an instant before one of them spoke.

"Actually, she does need to go through it with you, Doctor. It is the only way."

"Only way for what? You feel bad about hitting a woman directly, so you do it by proxy?"

The Vian stiffened as if insulted. McCoy counted that as a win. They were already going to torture and maybe kill him. Why worry about pissing them off?

"You do not understand."

"So explain it."

The two aliens exchanged a glance before the first shook his head.

"As we informed your Captain, should you live, you might find the answer you seek."

The second stepped forward.

"Were there another way to accomplish this . . . "

"Unless you're planning to accomplish this by talking me to death, at least spare my ears and get on with it."

Neither Vian spoke again, but the pain began almost immediately. Worse, he recognized the sensations as being very reminiscent to when he was nearly beaten to death back at the Academy. At least that time, he'd had the satisfaction of killing some of the ones attacking him. He was managing to keep from crying out, but in doing so, bit through his lower lip. The blood flowed down his chin, then began to fall, one thick drop at a time.

He was no longer able to keep track of where anyone was in the room, so McCoy was unaware that Gem had maneuvered herself below him and was curled in a tight ball of misery. She didn't react when the first drop of his blood hit her hand, but after the second drop, she lifted her head and stared at the spreading red blotch on her skin. She was facing away from the Vians, so they didn't notice when her expression began to shift from sorrow to a cold anger.

Gem moved, shifting her body to hide what she was doing from the Vians' watchful gaze. She had been around them long enough to know that they would not be able to stand not knowing everything that was going on for long. She simply had to wait.

* * *

><p>As Kirk continued his drugged sleep, Spock found the key to his problem with the Vian device. He had ben approaching it from the wrong angle, It wasn't, as he had original theorized, a control mechanism. It wasn't a mechanism at all. The control unit was designed to respond to one, and only one, unique brain wave pattern.<p>

Spock glanced toward the Captain. Attuning the device to himself rather than to Kirk could invoke a range of reactions with everything from being pleased that Spock took the initiative to claims of treason for making it so that Kirk couldn't use the only useful weapon himself. Deciding that it should be easy enough to redirect the Captain's wrath toward the Vians, Spock began to set the device to work to his mental commands.

By Spock's calculations, it was 1.376 hours before the Captain showed signs of waking and another .16 before Kirk fully woke. As he moved, Kirk was still showing signs that he was I pain, but whatever the doctor had injected into him had lessened the symptoms enough for him to think clearly again.

Seeing the device in Spock's hands, Kirk didn't question it, but instead looked around intently.

"They still have Bones and the girl."

It was phrased as a statement, but for safety's sake, Spock opted to treat it as a question.

"They do, sir. I have not seen sign of any activity since the doctor was taken away."

The growl coming from deep in Kirk's throat was not unexpected. However, the Captain sitting close beside Spock was. Ignoring the Vulcan's dislike of having his personal space invaded, Kirk gestured to the Vian device.

"Making any headway on that thing?"

Deciding to leave what exactly he was doing to the device unsaid, Spock nodded.

"If my calculations are correct, I should be able to have it operation within the next hour."

Kirk was silent which bothered Spock more than if the Captain had been ranting. When he did speak again, his tones were slow and measured.

"The Vians could have retaken that if they'd really wanted to, correct?"

"Correct, sir."

"So we have it because they want us to have it. And they also must know we are capable of adapting the device to our use, so they must also intend for us to use it."

"A logical conclusion. I believe they mean for us to make use of the device to leave."

"We leave - they keep Bones?"

"That would seem to be their intent."

"Screw that. Can you get that thing to take us to them?"

"If that is what you want. However, I must warn you that my tampering with the device may have made it a one-use only proposition."

Kirk waved off that concern.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, get that thing working. I don't want to leave him with those sadists a second longer than we have to."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

><p>There were disadvantages to being a doctor. If it weren't for his training, McCoy might be blissfully ignorant of how much damage had been done to him, but no, McCoy was fully aware that he was dying and this time, there would be no Doctor Puri to come to his aid.<p>

Someone - he assumed it must be Gem - moved the torn material of his now tattered uniform pants and laid a hand directly on the flesh of his left leg. He didn't have enough strength remaining to do much more than twitch at the ends of the chains still suspending him over the floor, so dislodging her was not even a consideration. A flush of sudden heat flowed through him, overloading his already overtaxed body, but as he lost consciousness, McCoy could have sworn he heard a masculine scream and he was relatively certain that it hadn't come from him.

* * *

><p>Gem waited patiently with one of her delicate hands resting on McCoy's leg until the Vians stepped closer. They weren't expecting anything - she had never voluntarily touched either of them. Once she could sense they were close enough, she pulled some of McCoy's injuries into herself, but before they could manifest as injuries to her own body, she spun and grabbed both Vians - one with each of her hands - and poured the injuries and pain she had taken from McCoy into them.<p>

The Vians were good at observing and causing pain, but had precious little experience or tolerance in dealing with it themselves. Their remaining control unit clattered to the floor as the two aliens screamed and dropped to their knees before the silent woman looking at them without the slightest trace of pity in her eyes.


	9. Insurrection

Captain's log - Stardate 2261.03

Spock managed to get the device to work and transported us to the torture chamber. Bones was hanging from the same chains that I'd been in and seemed unconscious, but that wasn't what grabbed my attention. Both Vians were on the floor writhing in agony while Gem glowered at them in a way that would have done Bones proud.

Gem turned and extended a hand out to me, which I accepted. As what was left of my pain faded, first one, then the other Vian gurgled and died. I like this girl.

* * *

><p>Now that the Vians were down, Gem maintained her hold on the one called Thann while releasing Lal as that she could reach out to touch McCoy again. The transfer of injuries from McCoy to Thann caused her a great deal of pain, but nothing compared to the pain Thann began to feel. Lal had a few moments to ponder the irony that Gem was returning to them the very injuries they had inflicted as he watched Thann collapse to the floor, bleeding from several wounds.<p>

Once Thann started to drop, Gem released him and took hold of Lal again. Lal's last coherent thought was that perhaps they should have looked deeper into the trio that they had expected her to learn from.

* * *

><p>As Kirk paced in very nearly place and with a similar stride as McCoy had, Spock briefly wondered if they had both always had that style of pacing in common or if one of them had picked it up from the other during their days together at the Academy. He did not, of course, voice that question. Kirk was already irritated and finding out that Spock's thoughts were on things other than making the device work would like be received poorly.<p>

Making the final adjustment, Spock noted that times like this were when his childhood of being under constant observation came in handy. Even before he had begun formal schooling, he had already learned to tune out those around him and concentrate on whatever task was before him.

Kirk stopped pacing the second Spock sat slightly straighter.

"Well?"

"I have completed the necessary adjustments, Captain, but the device was seemingly not developed with alteration of the settings in mind. There is a chance that we will only be able to make use of it once. If we use it to transport ourselves to the surface, the Enterprise may have returned and we would be able to bring down reinforcements."

Kirk shook his head.

"What good would that do? Even as close as we are, our instruments can't tell us where the Vians are. If the ship's sensors aren't able to penetrate the planet's surface, we could lose the doctor for good. Take a minute and really think about the Medical personnel, Spock. Now consider having to rely on them without Bones being there to keep them in line."

It took some effort, but Spock did manage to suppress a shudder. For one thing, Nurse Chapel seemed to have what he viewed as an unhealthy fixation on green blood.

"I see your point, sir. Shall I take us to the Vians then? We have no defense with us against their technology."

"Old Earth saying, Spock - the best defense is a good offense and I plan to be very offensive. Take us there now. You're wasting time, Mister."

Spock still felt it was unwise for the two of them to go after the Vians alone considering that the Captain was still not recovered from his earlier ordeal. However, the Captain's tone left no room for arguing that point, so he focused his thoughts and activated the control unit.

* * *

><p>There were any number of scenarios that had run through Spock's head as to what would be going on when they arrived, but the scene they came in on was not even close. McCoy was hanging limply in the chains that were suspending him off of the floor, his uniform tattered and blood stained. Oddly, Spock couldn't see any actual wounds on the doctor himself,<p>

His attention was drawn away by a sound of amusement coming from Kirk. Turning, he saw what had caused that unexpected reaction. Both Vians were near, but on the floor and seemingly suffering in great pain. Gem was standing between the two aliens and McCoy, an expression on her face that reminded Spock a great deal of expression he had seen on McCoy himself.

One of the Vians was trying to stretch out their hand to reach the fallen control unit, but Kirk casually walked over to it, plucking it up and then turning to Spock, tossing the device to him.

"Something new for you to tinker with."

A pain hit Kirk again and he closed his eyes briefly until it passed. When he reopened his eyes again, Kirk saw Gem had extended a hand to him. The way she was looking at him seemed oddly familiar and he found himself taking her hand without question. Once she had a good grip on him, she reached out for Thann, who tried unsuccessfully to avoid her.

Once she had taken hold of Thann, Kirk nearly lost his balance as a wave of dizziness passed through him. The reaction on Thann's end was far worse as the Vian gave one last desperate tug to attempt to pull away from Gem before his body convulsed and went limp.

Watching from where he stood beside McCoy's body, Spock had little doubt that the Vian had died. Gem dropped Thann's arm, then reached for Lal, who had no better luck evading the young empath than Thann had. By the time Gem dropped Lal's arm as well, he also appeared dead and Kirk was marveling now that the pains he had been suffering were fully gone.

Kirk was slightly annoyed that he'd never get the opportunity to get the answers to his questions, but by far, he was far more pleased that the pair had died slowly and painfully. His eyes moved back to Gem. He still wasn't sure exactly what she had done or how she had managed it, but he was really starting to like her.


	10. Back to the Research Station

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.033

With the Vians dead, we freed Bones. His medical uniform was in tatters, but outside of milder than expected wounds to his wrists, we couldn't find any injuries. Going back to examine the Vian bodies, Spock noted they had injuries to their wrists consistent with the chains and conjectured that Gem had transferred Bones' injuries to them. Good for her.

Spock was able to use the device again to take the four of us to the surface. Scotty sounded relieved to hear from me - sounds like there was a problem in my absence.

* * *

><p>Gem had settled down to the floor, breathing deeply and showing signs of exhaustion. Kirk gave her a genuine smile which she returned before directed her gaze to McCoy. Nodding as if she had spoke, Kirk turned to Spock.<p>

"Put down the toys for now and help me get him down."

Kirk held on McCoy as Spock found the way to lower the chains and continued to hold him as Spock undid the shackles, which were now coated with blood. Picking up McCoy's tricorder, Spock used it to examine the doctor.

"Why is he unconscious, Spock?"

Spock didn't speak until he finished running and examining the results of the scan.

"While I am not a medical practitioner, it would appear that, while Gem was able to heal the doctor's wounds, she does not have the ability to regenerate blood. The Doctor has lost a great deal, approximately a quarter of his circulating blood volume. He is fortunate that she was able to stop his blood loss at that point. Had the loss gone to over thirty percent, the Doctor would likely be suffering from a massive circulatory collapse by now."

Checking the tricorder readings again, Spock looked back to Kirk.

"Assuming no further injuries, Doctor McCoy should recover completely, though he will recover far sooner if we can get him to the Enterprise so that his staff can replace the lost fluids."

Kirk gave a glance back over toward the bodies of the Vians.

"Conjecture as to what Gem did?"

Spock lowered his tricorder and gave Kirk a speculative look.

"You seem to be moving easier, sir. The pain from the bends is no longer an issue?"

"No. I feel fine now. Did she . . . do you think she was able to give the Vians my injury?"

"That is my belief. The Vians both show signs of injuries that correspond to the areas where Doctor McCoy's uniform is torn. The most telling is the injuries to their wrists that appear as your shackle wounds did. Since it is highly doubtful that either of the Vians were ever shackled themselves, the wounds could only have been transferred to them from Doctor McCoy."

"So, they injured Bones and she fed those injuries back to them. Good for her. I had no idea she could do something like that."

Gem was keeping close to Kirk as he carried McCoy. Spock considered her for a moment before speaking again.

"I do not believe that the young lady knew herself that she could do that, Captain."

Gently lowering McCoy to the ground, Kirk looked at the two control units.

"Maybe not. She never struck back at the Vians while they were hurting her. Did your adjustment hold?"

"It did. We should be able to make use of it again to reach the surface."

Gem knelt at McCoy's side, taking his left hand into hers. Knowing Kirk's tendency to dislike others showing undue attention to McCoy, Spock decided he needed to make sure of the Captain's wishes where the girl was concerned.

"Who do you wish taken to the surface?"

Reaching up to brush Gem's bangs to the side, Kirk didn't bother to look towards Spock as he answered.

"All of us. The corpses of the Vians as well. There may be others of their species that we could come across one day. I'd rather know more about them before that day."

"Yes sir. And what about the other bodies?"

Turning his head, Kirk looked at the tubes still holding the remains of Linke, Ozaba, Mitchell and Franks.

"Leave them. All we would do is consign their bodies to the Black. Let the nova take care of that."

"Very well. I should inform you that after the Vians had removed yourself and Gem, the Doctor and I attempted to contact the Enterprise. The ship was still out of range."

Remembering the sudden wind storm on the surface, Kirk frowned.

"Can you aim that thing to take us to the research station? If there isn't too much interference from the solar radiation, we should be able to contact the Enterprise with the station equipment even if the ship isn't back in orbit yet."

"That should not present any difficulty, Captain."

"Good. Do it."

With another flash of light, the group appeared in the research station. Spock noted that this trip had been the one to overload the control unit, leaving it as little more than a paperweight. However, he still had possession of the second unit that Kirk had tossed him and he fully intended to take it back to the Enterprise for a thorough study.

"Spock, see if you can find a spot to store the Vians for now while I get Bones settled."

Without waiting for his First to acknowledge him, Kirk picked McCoy up and carried him into the sleeping area. After laying the doctor down, Kirk turned and took a long look at Gem, who had automatically followed him. Her weariness was easy to see and Kirk coaxed her to lie down beside McCoy. She was asleep before Kirk managed to cover them with a blanket. One thing he knew from personal experience with blood loss was that McCoy would chill easily. Between the girl and the blanket, he should stay warm enough.

Once finished, Kirk remained standing by the bedside for a minute before nodding to himself. As an empathy, there was still, of course, the possibility that she had used her powers to form a bond with McCoy, but if she had, it didn't seem to be more than the bond he knew McCoy would have formed without her urging. No, she wasn't a threat to his relationship with the doctor, any more than Joanna or the nurses were.

Content with that observation, Kirk left them to their sleep and went to find the station's communication panel. He was pleased to see that Spock had completed the task of moving the Vians somewhere out of sight.

Adjusting the setting on the transmitter, Kirk settled down into the chair in front of the panel.

"This is the Minara II station for the ISS Enterprise. Come in, Enterprise."

Repeating the same call three times, Kirk heard a response. It wasn't clear, but some of it could be made out.

"Captain? Good . . . you. More fla . . . had a wee prob . . ."

One thing Kirk noticed was Scott's tone. He sounded relieved which immediately made Kirk wonder who would need to be boothed when he returned. Assuming, of course, whoever had caused a problem was still alive to bother with.

"You're breaking up, Scotty. Tell me how long before you can pick us up."

"If . . . damned . . . stays settled . . . Chekov?"

There was a pause, then the answer came back.

"Latest was a small . . . should be clear . . . be there in . . "

It was difficult to keep the frustration out of his voice, but Kirk managed.

"Repeat time frame."

"Four hours . . . another flare."

"Unless the ship is in immediate danger from a new flare, come in and get us. Understand?"

"Aye . . . at once, sir."

Spock entered the area in the middle of Kirk's conversation and frowned slightly.

"Is the Enterprise returning now or in four hours, Captain."

Tempted to kick the panel, Kirk gave a rare sigh.

"As you said once before, a very good question for which I currently do not have a very good answer. Get everything downloaded off of the computers now. We need to be ready to go whenever they get here."


	11. ISS Enterprise

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.035

Feels very good to be back aboard the Enterprise. Seems there was a trio that severely underestimated Scotty and Chekov - the three attacked them when they left the Bridge together to check an odd reading in Engineering. Don't need anyone that stupid in my crew anyway.

I'm very proud of Pavel. He took them down without killing any of them. Glad to see that he's learning restraint. That might well be Nurse Layali's influence. I know they've had discussions on the merits of different blade types and fighting techniques.

* * *

><p>It was a little over an hour before Kirk heard sound from the sleeping area. Going in, he saw McCoy giving a very confused look at the sleeping girl beside him. Chuckling, Kirk moved over to the small replicator in the room.<p>

"Don't move too fast, Bones. Spock says you're down about a quarter of your blood volume. I'm about to bring you one of the remedies you give me."

Retrieving the fruit juice from the machine, Kirk helped steady McCoy enough to slowly drink the glass, gleefully enforcing the same insistence that the doctor used on him that he had to drink the entire glass. Kirk got a half-hearted glare, but McCoy did manage to get it all down.

"The message from the Enterprise was distorted, so while the crew on their way, we don't know exactly when they'll get here. Tell me what you need."

Licking his lips as he considered, McCoy answered another minute.

"Sleep. And if the Enterprise isn't back in an hour, wake me and feed me another glass of juice. In fact, that will be every hour until we're back onboard."

"Easy enough instructions to follow. Go back to sleep, Bones."

McCoy started to relax, but suddenly tensed again.

"The Vians -"

"Are no longer a concern. At least, not until you start dissecting them."

"Both dead?"

"Both very dead. Sleep. We'll fill in the blanks later."

Kirk went through two more rounds of helping McCoy drink a glass of juice before the welcome sound of an incoming call to his communicator pulled him from his thoughts.

"Kirk here."

"Ready to bring you aboard, Captain. We need to be a bit quick about it. This system's not got much longer to it."

"We're ready now, Scotty. Have a medical team standing by at the Transporter Room. In fact, let Uhura take the chair and handle the beaming yourself. We've got four to beam up, then two alien corpses to take aboard as well."

"Aye, sir. I'll signal you as soon as I'm in position to begin."

As Scott signed off, Kirk called out to Spock.

"Anything here you want to go with us, get it now. We aren't coming back."

"Understood, sir."

Beyond the data, there was nothing of interest to Spock in the research station, so the only items he had to go with him were the data chip with the reading downloads and the Vian control device.

When the signal came from Scotty, Kirk woke McCoy and Gem. McCoy was still unsteady, but able to stand for the teleport. Three of the nurses were present including Chapel and none of them were pleased to see that McCoy was the patient. Gem immediately hid behind McCoy - Kirk and Spock were both glad that McCoy was currently conscious and able to calm the women.

"At ease, ladies. Get me to Sickbay and pump some fluid in me and I'll be back in form in a day or two. Now, wait just a minute. Scotty?"

Scott wasted no time in activating the transporter again to bring up the dead Vians.

"Now, those are the two SOBs responsible for the injuries and for our dead crewmen. Get their sorry carcasses into storage and then we're all going to enjoy a nice long session with what's left of them."

Feeling Gem shiver, McCoy shifted his speech over to Spock.

"Mister Spock, I believe the little lady her is having a little culture shock. Could I impose on you to show her to a nice quiet meditation area where she can acclimatize while I'm being treated?"

Well able to imagine the effects of the effect that the emotions coming off of the nurses might be having on Gem, Spock nodded agreement. Smiling, McCoy touched her and indicated Spock.

"You go with him for now, darlin'. Anybody bothers you while he's around will regret it."

Seeming to get the gist if not the exact meaning in McCoy's words, Gem moved to Spock's side and looked up at him. Spock found it a bit disconcerting that the doctor had been accurate. Where he could not help but view her as a child, he would indeed make sure anyone harming her would not repeat their actions a second time.

Kirk went and stood by the transporter controls as the nurses took McCoy and the Vians to Sickbay and Spock left with Gem. Once the doors had shut and they were alone, Kirk turned to Scott.

"So? What happened?"

"Nothing we could nae handle. Three upstarts tried to ambush myself and Chekov when we went to check an odd reading coming from Engineering. You should be proud of the lad, sir. All three of them still living to answer any questions you might have."

A slow smile formed on Kirk's face.

"I've been trying to get him to see the value of restraint since his first year at the Academy."

"He's at that age where impressing a lass means a bit more than impressing his superiors."

"Ah yes - Nurse Layali, isn't it? I'd almost forgotten that he'd worked up the nerve to ask Bones to talk to her. To be truthful, I'm not sure if he's attracted to her or her knives."

"With that one? Perhaps a bit of both. Speaking of lasses, who was that one hiding behind the doctor?"

Kirk looked toward the doors.

"That, Scotty, is a very long story requiring the splitting of a bottle. And also a story that I think we'll need to wait until Bones is back on his feet properly to tell. Which reminds me - spread the word to anyone you prefer intact. Any uninvited advances toward that little lady will likely cause the offender to become the next anatomical study in Sickbay."

Not bothering to suppress a shudder, Scott nodded.

"Aye, I'll pass that advice along. Did you want to see the three rapscallions now or let them stew in the Brig for now?"

"No rush. Let them stew. How's our girl?"

Scott gave the nearby bulkhead a fond pat.

"We had a smattering of problems, but nothing getting a little distance from the solar flares didn't fix. I'm glad we were able to pull you out when we did. That gas ball is going fast."

"Maybe we'll pull back and watch the show then."


	12. Remedial Lesson

Captain's Log - Stardate 2261.038

The crew should have a decent idea of what **not** to say around Bones regarding Gem now that Ensign Kolbert made the mistake of implying that our Doctor was starting his own harem. I was impressed. I know Bones has a lot of speed with his hypos. but his speed with his Imperial dagger wasn't anything to sneeze at either.

Of course, the nastiest thing Bones did wasn't to slice him open, it was giving Kolbert over to his nurses for treatment. I doubt the Ensign will make the same mistake twice.

* * *

><p>Heading down to Sickbay a few hours later, Kirk was pleased to see the amount of improvement that McCoy had already made. Even more welcome was the improvement in the moods of the nurses and Nurse Chapel even gave a nod of approval when Kirk offered to escort McCoy to the Officers Mess.<p>

McCoy was willing even though he disliked being in the corridors when he wasn't at a hundred percent. He felt better about it when Spock and Gem joined them on the way. McCoy and Gem took the lead as Kirk signaled Spock to join him. He had a question for his First and, since they still weren't sure how much Gem did or didn't understand, he preferred to speak to him out of her presumed hearing range.

As the CMO strode through the crowded corridor, all junior personnel quickly moved out of their way. As McCoy started walking past a knot of other ensigns, one of them gave Gem a long look and remarked to the men around him.

"Damn, I should have gone medical track. Looks like McCoy's adding to his harem."

Spock's keen hearing had picked up the comment and he immediately stopped. Kirk automatically followed suit, looking forward just in time to see the end of the swipe that McCoy had directed toward the abdomen of the ensign who had mouthed off - Kolbert, a command track crewman.

When Kirk looked back on the incident later, he had to wonder what had been going through Ensign Kolbert's brain - assuming he had a functioning one, which was debatable. After all, getting on the bad side of the man who had control over your medical treatment as well as your meal card showed, at the very least, a severe lack of forethought. For now, Kirk was pleasantly surprised at how fast McCoy had been able to take hold of and make use of his uniform dagger.

On Kolbert's part, he didn't seem to realized that he'd been cut at first until a shout from another crew member had him scrambling to keep his intestines from spilling out. As for McCoy, he moved toward one of the intercom units in the corridor as he looked over his dagger.

"McCoy to Sickbay. Nurse Chapel."

"Chapel. What do you need, Doctor?"

"Clean-up in the main corridor leading to the Officers Mess. Ensign Kolbert seems to have run into my dagger. Do whatever you please with him so long as he's not in any danger of dying or becoming unable to do his job again."

McCoy kept one hand near the intercom as he looked back toward Kirk, who responded with a nod of agreement.

"That's all. Get a move on before somebody breaks a leg slipping in this idiot's blood."

"At once, sir."

Gem had been watching everything with wide eyes, but smiled when McCoy offered her his arm. As they began walking again, the other crew personnel practically trampled one another to get out of their path, much to the amusement of Kirk who turned to Spock.

"Considering the number of people in the corridor, word of this should spread pretty fast. I don't think anyone will bother Bones or Gem for a week or two at the very least, do you?"

Clasping his hands behind him, Spock gave a short nod.

"I knew how fast the doctor was with his hypospray, but his speed with his dagger is also impressive."

"I would have thought you'd have given him credit for being good with a blade after that incident on Vulcan."

Kirk found himself studying his First Officer's face, which had a greener cast than usual. Was Spock embarrassed?

"I . . due to my health status at the time, I truthfully have only sporadic memories of that incident, Captain."

"Shame. He put on an impressive display in my opinion."

Kirk remained nearby until Nurse Chapel showed up with Nurse Bierman and a pair of orderlies. Chapel acknowledged Kirk and Spock before doing a quick examination and openly admiring the length and depth of the cut before giving Kolbert a dirty look.

"Quit sniveling. If the Doctor had wanted you dead, he knows all the right places to hit to make you bleed out in seconds. Permission to remove the ensign to Sickbay, Captain?"

"By all means, Nurse Chapel."

She hesitated, then asked another question.

"Does Ensign Kolbert need to be available for standing duty at any particular time, sir?"

Casually waving that off, Kirk started heading toward the Officers Mess again.

"Not particularly. I'll leave those details to the discretion of our CMO. Carry on."

Kolbert was now openly panicking as the orderlies held him down while Bierman tightened the straps to restrain him on the gurney. Chapel looked as if she was briefly debating sedating him, but then she tucked her medkit away.

"Let's get him to Sickbay. We have so many things we can try before Doctor McCoy finishes his meal."

Spock left the scene as well and quickly retook his position at Kirk's side. The Captain smiled at Spock's unease. The only thing as nerve wracking as McCoy's nurses taking a dislike to you was them taking a liking to you.

"Isn't it nice to have an entire department that's so enthusiastic about their work, Spock?"

A brow raised, but Spock answered a moment later.

"I suppose that is one way of looking at it, Captain."

That got an outright laugh from Kirk that sent many an ensign scurrying for cover.

"Look on the bright side, Spock - so long as Bones is on our side, so are they."


	13. Questions

Captain's Log - Stardate 2216.041

We left the bodies of the researchers and our two men on Minara II to incinerate along with the planet, but brought up the bodies of the Vians for Bones to autopsy. May as well learn all we can about them in case we run into others of their race later.

Once Spock confirmed that he had retrieved all the data from the station's computer, I let Chekov destroy the structure. That should meet the requirement from Command that the computer be fully disabled. Time to leave - solar flares are coming more frequently.

* * *

><p>Gem seemed utterly fascinated by the Officers Mess as she was seated next to McCoy and across from Spock. The tray in front of her was very different from the ones in front of the men. Her was covered with small samples of many different types of food. Kirk noticed that she was constantly being distracted by activity in the rest of the room. Spock had also noted that and was paying attention to when her attention was being drawn elsewhere.<p>

"If Doctor McCoy's conjecture that the young lady's lack of vocal cords is natural, the variety of sounds that the rest of us produce may well all be new to her."

Lifting his tea, McCoy nodded agreement.

"I suppose it would be far more unusual if she did understand anything we say. The Vians certainly didn't guard anything they said around her."

That gave Kirk pause and he looked over the young empath again.

"She can hear us though, can't she?"

McCoy considered that, then sighed.

"It's difficult to say, Jim. She has the equipment for hearing, but when she reacts to us, is she reacting to what she feels coming off of us emotionally or the noises we're making? Even when something drops, is she reacting because she was startled or because she felt someone else being startled? I'll figure a way to test it. Either way, it will take an adjustment period for all of us."

Takng a sip before continuing, McCoy grumbled.

"Wish I had gotten a chance to get readings on at least one or two others of her people. That would have given me a baseline to work from. So far as I can tell, she's healthy, but I have to make a lot of assumptions. Hey, Spock - remember that question you asked me back in my cadet days about new races?"

"You mean the question regarding the proper way to categorize them? Yes. As I recall, you were openly disdainful of established Imperial protocols."

Kirk hadn't been in on that particular discussion and so leaned forward as McCoy indicated Gem.

"Would you say that a race such as Gem's would have been a boon to the Empire as a whole if we had been able to persuade them to aid us?"

"I am not sure of your point, but yes."

"My point is that one of the two inhabited worlds that will be destroyed when Minara's sun goes is most likely hers. Agreed.

"Agreed, Doctor. I see no reason why the Vians would have been in such an unstable area otherwise."

"Well then, that would mean that the Empire had already given her world a once over and decided that they had nothing of worth because their technology is more primitive than our own."

Spock went silent as he seemed to be contemplating his own cup of tea.

"I see what you are saying now, Doctor - and find that I must concur. Had a more in depth analysis been done, there is little doubt that the Empire would have put forth the resources to evacuate that planet. At the very least, they would have removed the younger members of the race."

Spock and Gem were exchanging curious looks before Spock finally addressed his next concern.

"What do you intend to do regarding informing Imperial Starfleet of her presence onboard?"

Kirk picked up a piece of toast as if studying it.

"I've already sent an encrypted communication to Admiral Pike. If all works as expected, she'll be added to our crew roster without any fuss so that she'll be official without shining a spotlight on her. After all, as Bones said, her race was deemed not interesting enough. If the Admiral can't manage to add her to the crew roster for whatever reason, she'll be listed as being under Bones' protection."

That news pleased McCoy greatly and he seemed to have a better appetite for it. For her part, Gem delicately sniffed each item on her tray and either pushed it away or sampled it. It didn't take long to note that everything with animal protein in it was what had been pushed to the side. Both Spock and McCoy made casual note of what did and didn't meet with her approval, but neither commented on it.

Picking up the apple from his own tray, Kirk took a healthy bite before turning to speak with McCoy - who didn't bother to hide his eye roll as Kirk started talking before swallowing.

"Before I forget to mention it, Bones, I'd like your nurse that's good at flaying to do that to at least one of the Vians. We can preserve it and ship it home to Pike to present to the Emperor on our behalf."

"Will do, Jim. Layali will enjoy that. Wonder how many different mounted skins the Emperor has in his collection?"

Spock didn't look up as he answered that.

"The last count that I had heard mentioned was one hundred and twenty two. It is difficult to get an exact count as very few are allowed to examine his collection as it is rumored that even allied species are included in it."

Finally swallowing his mouthful of apple, Kirk chuckled.

"I doubt that's a rumor. Pretty sure that's a fact. Say, Bones - where is Gem going to be staying? Your quarters?"

"No, my quarters are too close to Sickbay for someone like her to be comfortable there. I've got a couple of ideas though. I'll let you know if one of the pans out. Oh, and could I borrow Gaila for awhile?"

Seeing the leer that crossed Kirk's face, McCoy gave an exasperated shake of his head.

"Not for that, Jim. I need someone to be with Gem while I'm busy and not many folks onboard are stupid enough to go against an Orion."

Retrieving his mind from the gutter, Kirk gave his approval.

"Good idea. And while she's -"

Uhura's voice over the ship's intercom summoning Kirk and Spock to the Bridge interrupted whatever else Kirk was going to say. McCoy was pretty sure that was for the best.

* * *

><p>Retaking the Science station, Spock did a quick review of the data that he had downloaded from the research station's computer.<p>

"All the data is accounted for, Captain. There is no further need to preserve the station."

"Excellent, Mister Spock. Mister Chekov? Ready to get in a little target practice?"

Looking like a kid getting his birthday present early, Chekov looked over his settings.

"Yes, Captain. Ready and awaiting your command, sir."

"Begin. Wipe out all traces of the station."

Less than three minutes later, the station was gone. Even knowing where it had been, Spock was unable to pick up any readings that would distinguish it beyond the rapidly cooling rock. Another reading flashed an alert to Spock's screen.

"Captain, we have picking up signs of another solar flare. This one is of even greater magnitude than the last one was. At least a five on the Ritter scale."

"Nice work, Mister Chekov. Mister Sulu, plot us a course out of the system before these flares affect our gear."

"Aye, sir."

Sitting back in his chair, Kirk reflected that it was a shame that they didn't have time to see about getting a few more of Gem's people. Then again, the rest of them were unknown factors and, with the sort of powers Gem possessed, wild cards weren't coming aboard his ship.


	14. Nova

Captain's log - Stardate 2261.044

We moved to a safe distance, but stayed close enough to witness the explosion of the Minarian sun. Precise to the point of annoying as always, Spock said the supernova was a type one alpha.

The explosion was spectacular - not that the three inhabited worlds were likely to enjoy it. Well, as Bones pointed out, they didn't linger. At their technical levels of development, they might not have even seen it coming.

I wonder if Gem was native to this system? If so, were all her people empathic? Moot point now, of course.

* * *

><p>Settling into the Captain's chair, Kirk watched the dying sun as Spock continuously rattled off facts as if anyone else on the Bridge might actually be paying attention.<p>

"Since the star is showing no signs of strong spectral lines of hydrogen, it would officially be classified as a type one rather than a type two supernova. Alpha class. Plus, due to the elliptical shape of the Minarian system . . ."

Kirk finally turned to direct his words toward the science station.

"Spock? Do I look like I give a damn? Put it all into your reports and I'll read it later. For now, all that I want is verification that we're close enough for a good show, but far enough away not to have to worry about damages to the ship."

Looking slightly perturbed at the interruption, Spock turned from the science panel and looked toward the main viewscreen.

"Our distance from the star is sufficient, Captain. My readings indicate that the explosion could conceivably destroy the core and completely obliterate the star."

"Excellent."

Activating the intercom, Kirk called down to Sickbay.

"Anyone dying who shouldn't be, Bones?"

"Not at the moment unless you have a volunteer for us."

"No volunteers. Leave your nurses in charge and come to the Bridge on the double."

"On my way."

Shifting to watch the dying sun again, Kirk allowed his thoughts to wander. It was a shame that it was likely too much to hope that one of those planets was the one the Vians called home. He'd consider wiping out a few more of them as a favor to the universe at large. He was pulled back by the sound of McCoy coming onto the Bridge. Kirk motioned the doctor over and everyone on the Bridge was surprised when it became apparent that Kirk intended for McCoy to sit in front of the Captain's chair - a position assumed on many Imperial ships by whichever female was currently the Captain's woman.

Only McCoy seemed unsurprised and he settled down where Kirk wanted him, his back against the seat of the chair with one of Kirk's knees at either shoulder. The silence on the Bridge was so deep that Kirk barely restrained a chuckle as he reached forward to rest one hand atop McCoy's head.

Studying the pair, Uhura thought she understood what this was about. The word of what had happened in the corridors had spread like fire. McCoy had always been viewed as dangerous, but now that evaluation had been upped to deadly. The crew had all known, of course, that going into Sickbay while on McCoy's bad side was akin to suicide, but they had considered that outside of Sickbay, his main defense was the Captain's protection. The speed of his blade work ended that thought, but now? Kirk was making it very blatantly clear that McCoy might not need his protection, but he had it any way.

For his part, McCoy knew some psychology, but more importantly, he knew James T. Kirk in a way that possibly no other living being did. The others might think this display was for the benefit of the crew, but he knew it wasn't a display at all. Between Gem attaching herself to him and then the way the Vians had ripped them away from one another, Kirk needed reassuring and McCoy had no qualms about following along with whatever gave him that assurance. He and Puri had talked in depth a few times about the needs of a starship captain. Some days, McCoy wished Nero was still alive so that he could personally kill the Romulan bastard for taking his mentor away from him.

That and other thoughts ran through his head as he finally looked toward the viewscreen. Looking into space would never be his favorite thing, but he rarely got the feelings of panic that used to overwhelm him. That change had nothing to do with the Black being less dangerous and everything to do with the solid presence behind him. Part of that was Kirk's possessive streak. Deep down, McCoy felt that if anything genuinely threatened to remove him from his Captain's side permanently, Kirk would kill him to prevent anyone else from doing it. McCoy reflected further that finding that thought comforting probably said things about him he'd rather not think about too deeply.

From behind them, he heard Spock speak.

"According to my readings, the fusion reaction has begun. The explosion should be imminent."

Even with the automatic dampening of the brightness that was part of the viewscreen's failsafes, the initial flash of light as the core of the star exploded had them all averting their eyes reflexively. Leaning forward, Kirk made what McCoy translated as a happy noise.

"Spectacular. Admit it, Bone - that was worth seeing. Or all you still fixated on the three inhabited worlds?"

"A bit. With any luck, none of them were technologically advanced enough to see this coming. Regardless, it's over for them now. At least it shouldn't be anything lingering."

Deciding it was time for a change of subject, Kirk settled back in his chair again. It was really a shame that McCoy was so valuable elsewhere because Kirk rather enjoyed having him on the Bridge like this.

"So, have you made a decision regarding Gem yet?"

"I have. With your permission, of course, Captain."

Uhura turned to give the appearance that she was checking a reading when, in reality, she was hiding a smile. There was one thing that McCoy seemed to have a grasp of at an instinctive level and that was when to toss a little flattery Kirk's way by making use of his title.

"What do you have in mind that I need to approve?"

Looking over his shoulder, McCoy met Kirk's eyes.

"Gaila. I want Gem to share quarters with Gaila."

Kirk looked stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Damn. That's a great idea. So long as Gaila doesn't object, you've got it."

A small smile formed on McCoy.

"She's good with it,"

Halfway expecting that the doctor would request to leave after getting his approval, Kirk was pleasantly surprised when McCoy instead turned back around and resettled into his position at the front of the Captain's chair.

"Any additional readings you need to take on what remains of the Minarian system, Mister Spock?"

"I believe the data we have already assembled to be adequate, sir."

"Very good. In that case, Mister Sulu, plot us a course out of here.

Kirk rested his hand on McCoy's head again and McCoy responded by leaning his head back a bit to meet Kirk's touch. Feeling a wave of contentment, Kirk took a look around the Bridge. His Bridge. His people. Life was sweet.

Life was very sweet.

* * *

><p><strong>These are the continuing voyages of the ISS Enterprise. Her ongoing mission :<strong>

**To exploit strange new worlds, to subjugate new lifeforms and new civilizations, **

**To boldly go where no one has dared go before.**


End file.
